Truthfully, I don't think it changes anything out here. People need to step up and be leaders. Being named captain has just intensified things and I have to continue to work hard, take care of business on the field and hopefully lead by my actions. Hopefully people will notice that and follow suit.

On things he's worked on during the offseason

Hard work, definitely speed, tried to gain a little weight, getting faster ... those were the things I thought were most important. The strength and conditioning program here gets you ready. In every aspect, mentally and now this new leadership role, I'm trying to improve in every aspect.

On the value of experience on defense

It's beneficial at my position, defensive line, because we don't have a lot of young guys. Most of our guys have been around and we have that experience as a unit. Everyone is catching on a little quicker than they would in the past.

We're not really going to change a lot scheme-wise. I think what Noah was able to accomplish last season was pretty good, so why make a lot of changes. What you need to do with Noah is teach him at a different level than you would some of the other guys. His technique is decent but it needs to get a little better. Where he goes is very, very good, he understands the scheme and is so darn talented. If we stick with working on his technique, he can be an awfully good player.

On Keller (as a football player)

He's close. He's probably as good a player as I've coached in 23 years. He's got the whole package in terms of having a great mind that can read a whole package in a hurry. He has great hands, good feet and he wants to make plays. I've had very good linebackers in the past that take a play off every now and then, but this kid won't do that. Everybody can get better though, and that's where the footwork and technique come in.

On Keller's instincts

He reads everything extremely well and he does that because he has great vision and can recognize the blocking schemes. He also has good feet that can help him get around blocks. That's what makes him a great instincts player.